Fire in Cherry Creek State Park prompts chop-downs

Homeless campers whose fire got out of control Sunday afternoon in Cherry Creek State Park ignited a blaze that burned about five acres east of the reservoir and prompted firefighters to cut down 23 cottonwood trees.

About 40 firefighters from Cunningham, Aurora Fire, South Metro Fire and the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s wildland team responded, controlling the flames by 4 p.m. State park rangers and Arapahoe deputies were watching the smoldering fire near wetlands Sunday night, poised to snuff flare-ups.

“We did find a campfire in the general vicinity of the start of the fire,” Rhodes said.

That area was off limits to campers. But drifters “make their own little camps in different places in the park.”

Nobody was identified or caught, he said.

“Usually when something like this happens they pick up their stuff and are gone quickly. … We found a small pot where they were trying to cook their potatoes.”

More than 1.5 million people a year visit the park, a 5.2 square-mile oasis in metro Denver that is home to mule deer, coyotes, foxes, rabbits, migratory birds, beaver and muskrats.

The fire spread from wooded wetlands east of the reservoir into trees. Firefighters decided to cut down 23 cottonwoods that were weakened, to prevent them falling on their own, Rhodes said.

“We’d like to keep everything standing if at all possible. But once they are damaged, you don’t want them to fall on top of people.”